Chatpers 56 through 59 in Ian's POV
by Vintage Vine
Summary: These are chapters Welded, Completed, Finished, and Remembered in Ian's Point Of View. I hope you read and enjoy! ;


"I have to go, Sunny, just like you. I have to give my body back, too."

Her words, they cut me in half. Wanda, my sweet, delicate, misunderstood Wanderer, gone. No more. Shipped off to some other irrelevant planet that would spit her back out again. No. I will not allow it.

Somehow, I find my voice, steely and hard with deception. "What?"

My eyes don't stray from Wanda's. How could she be planning something like this? She _is_ too self-sacrificial for her own good. I won't let her sacrifice her beautiful form for such a _real_ parasite. That Seeker shouldn't have to be saved at Wanda's expense. What is she thinking!

Kyle is as oblivious as always. "Ian? What's the problem?"

I ignore his utter ignorance. Instead, I hold out my unclenched hand. "Wanda." It may be my answer; it may be my beckon for Wanda.

When she doesn't take it, I use force. We will talk about this. She won't slip away from me.

I pulled her away from the clingy girl. She held on, and I shook Wanda until her grip fell.

Kyle was still being his idiot self. "What is _with_ you?" he demanded.

Impatient with his stupidity, I pull my knee back and launch my foot forward until it connects with his already twisted nose. How many times has it been broken now? Twelve? Thirteen? I don't care.

My brutality toward my brother has Wanda reeling. Right- her gentle, loving, soul nature isn't prone to such barbaric measures. Somehow, I don't feel sorry for doing, just for Wanda seeing me do it.

"C'mon," I almost yell at her.

"Ian-"

I don't let her speak. She may be the only one who could talk some sense into me. Not yet. I may not be able to muster the words without my sudden anger. If I slip, give way to her tenderness, I may not succeed in persuading her to reconsider her childish terms.

Jared. The door. Blocked. I stop pulling Wanda and glare at Jared through hate-filled eyes.

"Have you lost your mind, Ian? What are you doing to her?" I can feel the resentment and worry seething from his tone. I almost want to laugh at how recessive it is to my own anger.

"Did you know about this?" I yank her forward and shake her. The thought of causing her pain doesn't even register.

Jared does, though. "You're going to hurt her!"

I ignore that, still not acknowledging his evasive answers. "Did you know what she's planning?"

He can only stare at me. That is answer enough. I reel back my fist and punch Jared square in the face.

"Ian, stop," the lovely, frightened creature in my grip begs.

"_You_ stop," I bark back.

We pass through the door, and head north.

Jared's voice follows us. "O'Shea!"

I finally allow his comments to register. "_I'm_ going to hurt her? _I_ am? _You hypocritical swine!_

Wanda keeps silent. I don't blame her. But I do hear a sharp whimper come from the beautiful being in my clutches. I stop, and try to breathe normally, but to no avail.

"Ian, Ian, I…" she whispers, unable to finish. How scary _am_ I right now?

I don't have time to ponder it. I scoop her small form into my arms and run to the plaza. People stare, and I _don't_ care. I keep running, resisting the urge to cry. But I know sooner or later the tears _will_ appear, symbolizing my crumbling strength of reasoning.

Inevitably, I make it to mine and Kyle's room. I kick the red door aside, and let Wanda drop to the mattress. I turn, and secure the door once more. When I look back, she's on her knees, arms on her sides, palms up. This position confuses me; it's like she's trying to offer me something to ease my hostility.

I finally choke out the hard words I've been trying to muster. "You. Are. Not. Leaving. Me."

Her voice rings out in a delicate whisper, on the verge of her own salty tears. "Ian. You have to see that…that I can't stay. You _must_ see that."

"_No!" _

She shrinks away from, settling back onto the bed. This action that I've caused…makes my own knees give way. I fall into her, burying my head into her tiny stomach, and lock my arms around her, keeping her there. I will not lose her. I begin to tremble, to shake. The tears I've tried to hold back are now spilling over, dampening her shirt. Horrible, hopeless sobs erupt from me, shaking her, too.

"No, Ian, no," she pleads. "Don't, please. Please, don't."

Her cries don't reach me. I am imagining a future. Far off in another world. Where she may exist without her people. Where only she may be here, and humans are not under siege. Where we may love and be one, without the hardships of unappreciative Seekers, and thieving souls. He name escapes my lips. I say it as if it's a caress.

"Ian, please. Don't feel this way." How could I _not _feel this way? "Don't. I'm so sorry. Please?"

What is she asking of me? To let her give up herself just to save the no good parasite that was so inclined to ruin us? Never—not even if she were human.

Wanda begins to cry, too. I hope it's for me. I hope it's because of the love that practically seeps from me as I say her name, as I look at the silver in her eyes. "You can't leave," I state, truthfully.

"I have to, I have to," she sobs.

We cry, making no effort to decipher any incoherent words.

In time, my tears dry, leaving me breathless and sad. How could I have been so cruel to her? To Sunny? Forget Ian and Kyle; they were in on it. I pull myself back and her as well. She easily glides into my arms as I rock back and forth.

"Sorry," my voice barely audible. "I was mean." The worst understatement in the history of cruelty.

"No, no. _I'm _sorry." And here we go with her programmed self-inflicting again. "I should have told you, when you didn't guess. I just… I just couldn't. I didn't want to tell you—to hurt you—to hurt me. It was selfish."

"We need to talk about this Wanda. It's not a done deal. It can't be." It sure as mints ain't a done deal. It's hardly even a _deal _yet.

"It is."

I shake my head. "How long? How long have you been planning this?"

Her reply is predictable. I nod. "And you thought you had to give up your secret to save her. I can understand that." Sure, I can…not. "But that doesn't mean you have to go anywhere. Just because Doc knows now…that doesn't _mean_ anything. If I'd thought for one minute that it did, that one action equaled the other, I wouldn't have stood and let you show him. No one is going to force you to lie down on his blasted gurney! I'll break his hands if tries to touch you!" She better believe it that if he so much as pats her on the back in thanks, he'll lose his much more than his hands.

"Ian, please."

"They can't make you, Wanda! Do you hear me?" It seems my words can't get through to her. Can't she see the urgency of this?

No one is making me. I didn't show Doc how to do the separation so that I could save the Seeker. The Seeker's being here just made me have to decide…faster. I did it to save Mel, Ian."

Her words feel like another split, this time my heart. How could I still respect the human inside her in captivity when she's the reason my soul is leaving? It's impossible.

"She's trapped in here, Ian. It's like a prison—worse than that; I can't even describe it. She's like a ghost. And I can free her. I can give her herself back."

"You deserve a life, too, Wanda. You deserve to stay." I am still attempting, trying, literally beating myself up to persuade her.

"But I _love_ her, Ian."

Ah, the cold, hard reality. I close my eyes, wishing it not true. I try to choke out the words. "But I love _you. _ Doesn't that matter?" I wish I hadn't spoken. What if I don't want to know? What if it doesn't matter?

"Of course it matters. So much. Can't you see? That only makes it more…necessary."

I don't understand. I can only come to this conclusion. "Is it so unbearable to have me love you? Is that it?" Of course it is. "I can keep my mouth shut, Wanda. You can be with Jared, if that's what you want. Just stay."

"No, Ian!" Her scream startles me. She slides her hands to the sides of my face. "No. I—I love you, too. Me, the little silver worm in the back of her head." The description of her truest form makes me want to claim her beautiful, for she is. I want to interrupt her, but she continues. "But my body doesn't love you. It can't love you. I can never love you in this body, Ian. It pulls me in two. It's unbearable."

My eyes close at the sick truth. No, she can't love me in Melanie's body. It is hardwired to love the putrid Jared Howe. My eyes feel thick with new tears.

Suddenly, I feel Wanda's arms around my neck as pulls me in. Her lips find mine. I take advantage of her offer, and grip her tighter to me. Her lips are sweet, tender. I want more, much more. But I will not dishonor her. She is too good, too pure. I've never been with anyone, and I probably never will, if Wanda can't find happiness with staying here.

I start to realize something. Something phenomenal. Wanda and I melt together, fused into place, as one. Not united, just inseparable. I relish the softness of this kiss.

She begins to cry again, and I feel the compelling desire to kiss the tears. I do, and she shudders into an outburst of more tears. "Don't cry, Wanda. Don't cry. You're staying with me."

"Eight full lives," her lips brush against my jaw, making me shiver inwardly. "Eight full lives and I never found anyone I would stay on a planet for, anyone I would follow when they left. I never found a partner. Why now? Why you? You're not of my species. How can you be my partner?"

I remember our conversation from weeks ago, when I began to trust _her_ and she depended on _me_. "It's a strange universe."

"It's not fair," she wails.

She waits. I sit, silently listening to her—Melanie's, too- heartbeat.

"I love you," she whispers.

"Don't say that like you're saying goodbye."

It doesn't silence her. "I, the soul called Wanderer, love you, human Ian. And that will never change, no matter what I might become." I don't fully trust the last part, seeing how too guarded her voice is. "If I were a Dolphin or a Bear or a Flower, it wouldn't matter. I would always love you, always remember you. You will be my only partner."

I control the joy that threatens to releaser her from me; I want to jump and dance with joy at the sound of her words. Then, I realize she's thinking of being sent in a cryotank, off to another planet. My hold tightens, the joy leaving and being replaced by my firm resolution. "You're not wandering off anywhere. You're staying here."

"Ian—"

"This isn't just for me. You're a part of this community, and you aren't getting kicked out without discussion. You are far too important to us all—even to the ones who would never admit it. We all need you."

"No one's kicking me out, Ian."

"No. Not even yourself, Wanderer."

I kiss her again, thinking I'll forget what it's like to have her lips welded to mine. I snake my hand through her hair, and slightly pull her back. "Good or bad?"

"Good."

Her answer leaves me wanting to glue our lips again. I feel her gasp for breath. My arms loosen their strong hold, and I lean down so my lips are grazing her ear. "Let's go."

"Where? Where are we going?"

"Don't give me any trouble over this, Wanderer. I'm half out of my mind." I stand, still clutching her to my chest.

"Where?"

"You're going down the eastern tunnel, past the field, to the end."

"The game room?"

"Yes. And then you are going to wait there until I get the rest of them."

"Why?"Are my motives really _that_ unrealistic? Couldn't she tell?

"Because this _will_ bediscussed. I'm calling a tribunal, Wanderer, and you are going to abide by our decision."

* * *

"Jeb," Wanda's voice murmurs. "You don't have to decide right now. Doc needs to check on Jodi, and I'd like to see her, too. Plus, I haven't eaten all day. Why don't you sleep on it? We can talk again tomorrow. We've got plenty of time to think about this."

_Liar. You're lying, Wanda. _I know she is.

"That's a good idea, Wanda. I think everyone here could use a breather. Go get some food, and we'll all sleep on it."

Wanda looks pleased. "I'll be along to help Jodi after I eat, Doc. See you later."

"Okay," he cautioned. What's wrong with him now? He looks…torn.

"Hungry?" I ask her. She nods. I hold my hand out, letting her pull herself up. She asks me to get our food while she waits in the field. Her reason is sensible; she's avoiding Jamie. I don't argue, knowing it's best he doesn't know of the situation. As we eat, my arm does not leave her waist.

Wanda requests we go see Jodi. Knowing Kyle, he hasn't wavered from that room. I walk with her, never letting her leave my sight. Kyle is trying being Jodi out of submission. I watch as sweet Wanda teaches him the trade.

"Like this, Kyle." Her fingers smooth over the girl's arm. "Jodi? Jodi, can you hear me? Kyle's waiting for you, Jodi. He got himself in a lot of trouble getting you here—everybody who knows him wants to beat him senseless." She grins at Kyle, and—spontaneously—his own smile turns up.

"Not that you're surprised to hear that," I continue for her. "When hasn't that been the case, eh, Jodi? It's good to see you again, sweetheart. Though I wonder of you feel the same way. Must have been a nice break to get rid of this idiot for so long."

"You remember Ian, of course. Never has managed to catch up to me in anything, but her keeps trying. Hey, Ian, you got anything you want to say to me?"

Not anything for the females in our presence may hear. "Not really."

"I'm waiting for an apology."

"Keep waiting."

"Can you believe he kicked me in the face, Jodes? For no reason at all."

"Who needs an excuse, eh, Jodi?"

Wanda's voice brings us from our brotherly feud. "Keep it up, Kyle. That's just right. She'll come around.

We settle down for a moment, each of us thinking of different things.

Then, Kyle speaks up. "Wanda?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Um…why?" Is she still being oblivious to what he almost committed? Certainly.

"For trying to kill you. Guess I _was_ wrong.

The breath I had been holding comes out in a gasp. "Please tell me you have some kind of recording device available, Doc."

"Nope. Sorry, Ian." Doesn't that beat all. You witness a miracle and can't imprison it in a sound recorder or photo.

I shake my head. "This moment should be preserved. I never thought I'd live to see the day that Kyle O'Shea would admit to being wrong. C'mon, Jodi. That ought to _shock_ you awake."

"Jodi, baby, don't you want to defend me? Tell Ian I never _have _been wrong before." A soft laugh escapes his never smiling lips.

Wanda stands. "I'm tired, Ian."

I nod. "I'll bet you are. Did you stay up with the Heal—with Mandy all night?"

"Yeah." She yawns. But it seems forced, fake.

"Have a nice night, Doc. Good luck, Kyle."

I walk her to my room. I don't immediately open the doors; I raise my eyebrows at her. She nods. Still avoiding Jamie, I suppose.

I open the door, and she goes to the mattress, curls into herself, and waits. I go to her, hold her close. I can feel her trembling form. "It's going to be fine, Wanda. I know we'll find a solution."

Her next statement startles me. "I truly love you, Ian. With my whole soul, I love you."

"I truly love you, too, my Wanderer." I nestle my face on hers until our lips collide once more. Her shaking stopped.

"Sleep, Wanda. Save it for tomorrow. It will keep for the night."

She nods, and presses her face against mine.

I fall asleep, feeling secure in knowing she's here, safe, in my arms.

* * *

I told them not to rush. And they've brought back the perfect host for my Wanderer. With blonde hair, small gold freckles, silver glowing skin, my Wanderer will look exactly how she would, if she were human.

Melanie had lead me to Doc's hospital, to Wanderer, who is still nestled in a tiny little cryotank. I can't wait for the insertion. I don't care if she'll think of herself as a worm, a parasite. She is not; I'll just have to convince her.

The body intended for Wanda is on one of Doc's operating tables. I wince as he attempts to take her cryotank from my clinched arms. "No," I firmly state.

Doc didn't expect my resistance. But he obliges- reluctantly. "Would you like to insert her, then, Ian?"

I smile. "Yes. Yes, I would like that."

And Doc teaches me the basic mechanics of placing my beloved in her new anatomy. Doc opens the cryotank with slow precision. I watch, amazed, as he offers me the beautiful creature inside.

I slide my hand in, feeling the cold air, and gently curl my hand around my Wanderer. I bring her out and just hold her there, in both of my palms, mesmerized at her luxurious beauty. The silver being nestled in my hands doesn't look like a worm. To me, it is simply a caterpillar, small and delicate, awaiting the transition from one body to the next. And that body will fulfill her personality quite well.

Doc points silently at the incision on the back of the host's neck. I positioned Wanderer just above the slit and watched as my little soul waded into it. Her attachments wound around every nerve, reaching further into the host. When the insertion is finished, I can only see a small portion of my little soul, Wanderer.

Doc seals the incision with Seal, and I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Now, we will simply wait.

* * *

She's stirring, not awake, just asleep. Not long before she's in my arms again. I shiver at the thought.

"Wanda. Come back. We aren't letting you go," Melanie attempts to rouse her.

"Use the Awake," Jared suggests.

Doc hands a small bottle of spray to me and the grapefruit scent disappears in front of Wanda's nose. My hands have been grasping hers, and I can feel her twitch inside them. I lean down, excited that I may finally see her beautiful silver irises again. My lips graze her ear. "Wanderer? We're all waiting for you, honey. Open your eyes."

I smile, thinking my voice is what's waking her, not Melanie's. My hand releases hers and sweeps across her cheeks, her lips, eyelids. She blinks under my light touch.

I take in a sharp breath.

Jamie notices, too. "She's waking up!"

As her eyes adjust, I rest my hand on her face. "Wanderer?"

Her eyes roam, looking for something. Then, they find me. "Ian?" Her new voice is tiny, bell-like. I love it. "Ian, where am I? _Who _am I?"

"You're you," I answer as fully as I can. "And you're right where you belong."

She raises her hand, examining it, trying to calculate it. I fight the urge to smile at her discoveries. Her tiny hand opens and closes.

Recognition crosses her angelic features. Then, shock. "Where is she? Where is Pet?" she demands.

"She's right here. Tanked and ready to go. We thought you could tell us the best place to send her," Doc replies.

Wanda looks to him, hurt. "Doc! Doc, you promised! You gave me your oath, _Eustace!_ Why? Why did you break your word?"

"Even an honest man sometimes caves to duress, Wanda."

"Duress," mutters Jared.

"I'd say a knife to the throat counts as duress, Jared."

"You knew I wouldn't really use it."

"That I did not. You were quite persuasive."

Wanda begins to shake. "A knife?"

"Shh, it's all okay," I tell her. She strokes the hair in her face away. I hope she doesn't cut it off like she did to Melanie's body. Her new, golden locks are too grandeur to chop off. And I couldn't stop my fingers from brushing and gliding through it as she slept. "Did you really think you could leave us that way? Wanda!"I sigh, just relieved Jared had pulled that knife.

"I told you I didn't want to be a parasite," she whispers.

Before I can reassure her that isn't true, Melanie pushes though the crowd. "Let me through." Confusion sweeps over Wanda's face as she hears her old voice.

"Listen up, Wanda. I know exactly what you don't want to be. But we're human, and we're selfish, and _we_ don't always do the right thing. We aren't going to let you go. Deal with it."

"Mel? Mel, you're okay!" The two sisters hug, and I realize I can't hate anyone that feels for Wanderer almost as much as I do.

"Of course I am. Wasn't that the point of all the drama? And you're going to be fine, too. We're weren't stupid about it. We didn't just grab the first body we saw."

Jamie pushes his own way to Mel. "Let me tell her, let me!"

Wanda takes his hand. "Jamie!"

"Hey, Wanda! This is cool, isn't it? You're smaller than me now!" He grins, knowing he's now superior to her passive ways.

"But I'm still older. I'm almost—" She stops to calculate. "My birthday is in two weeks."

I hold my breath. It wouldn't matter what her age was. Of course, I would never, _ever_ dishonor her, but caution still applies. Jared is thirty, Melanie, twenty-one. I'm twenty-two.

"I'll be eighteen."

My arms go rigid. I suck in a breath. How could she be eighteen, when her host's body looks on the verge between sixteen and seventeen?

Jamie pats her cheek to get her attention. "They let me come on the raid to get you."

"I know. I remember…Well, Pet remembers seeing you there," she mutters. Her eyes avert to Mel, who shrugs.

Jamie goes into full detail of the full account of how they found Wanderer's new body. I simply watch her expressions during the story. I perk up at the mention of my name. "Ian didn't come. He just sat here with you—he said he didn't care what you looked. He wouldn't let anyone else put a finger on your tank at all, not even me or Mel. But Doc let me watch this time. It was way cool, Wanda. I don't know why they wouldn't let me help, though. Ian wouldn't anyone touch you but him."

I squeeze her hand and whisper in her ear. "I held you in my hand, Wanderer. And you were so beautiful." She sniffs, blinking tears away.

I pulled back, smiling.

Jamie makes sure she likes her new self—as if they'd go back out, which if Wanda was unhappy, I'd force them to.

Wanda asks for Jodi, Sunny, whoever is occupying the mind. I tune out, hypnotized by Wanda's loveliness.

She then looks at me, startled by my watching her. "You okay in there?" I ask.

"I…I don't know. This feels very…weird. Every bit as weird as switching species. So much weirder then I would have thought. I…I don't know."

"You don't mind staying here _too_ much, do you, Wanda? Do you think that maybe you could tolerate it?" Everyone places their hands around hers, on top of each other's. I brush a lock of her hair away from her and let my hand fall to rest on her soft skin.

She blushes, and it's such a remarkable color that I want to simply kiss it. Did her body come with a new emotion? A few? Shyness wasn't the same as fear, but she'd never felt that in Melanie's body.

"I suppose I could do that. If it makes you happy."

Why can't she think of herself? "That's not good enough, actually. It has to make _you_ happy, too."

This new emotion—shyness—forces her to cast her eyes away from mine and back again.  
"I…think it might," she agrees. "I think it might make me very, very happy."

I smile, and pull her chin in my direction so that she's looking at me. "Then you will stay."

I kiss her, forgetting the audience around us. I don't care. I have my Wanderer, who'll stay here, with me. Who won't wander off. Who has finally found her planet, her home.

"I will stay."

And my I let myself feel peace, knowing she's mine, forever. We have found each other's partner.


End file.
